A modern approach to citizen engagement suggests that some citizens appreciate the ability to interact with their local government in a digital environment, such as online access to services to; pay property taxes, research publicly available information, submit documents and forms, etc. That’s where engage™ comes in!
engage™ is intended to be an intuitive, user-friendly application. However, we know that some features of engage™ could use a bit of guidance to be completely beneficial to you. This informative guide will serve to provide you with a bit more guidance, should you have a need. As well to the left, we are happy to provide you with a number of resources to assist you in your property assessment journey.
Thank you for visiting our website and for the opportunity to serve you and your needs.
Please contact us anytime - we are here to help!
The Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals meeting location has been changed from the Lake County Training & Media Center to the Commissioners’ Courtroom, also located at the Government Center, 2293 N Main St, Crown Point, IN 46307, Building-A, 3rd Floor. The change in location is due to temporary displacement for ongoing renovation projects. Please contact our office at (219) 755-3100 or Assessor@lakecountyin.org if you have any further questions.
Each of the affected 2021 meetings are listed below:
January 27th
February 10th & 24th
March 10th & 24th
April 7th
The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) has a new online service portal to file business personal property filings! This system will be available in January 2021. Please contact our office at (219) 755-3100 or Assessor@lakecountyin.org if you have any further questions. You may also visit the Department’s website for more information at https://www.in.gov/dlgf/7576.htm.
The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) has revised the Sales Disclosure Form (State Form 46021), effective January 1, 2021. Please contact our office at (219) 755-3100 or Assessor@lakecountyin.org if you have any further questions. You may also visit the Department’s website to access the new forms or for more information at https://www.in.gov/dlgf/8294.htm.
During a field inspection, personnel will attempt to make contact with the taxpayer to identify his/herself and explain their purpose for the visit. They will ask several questions to verify information about the interior of the property and request permission to inspect the exterior. If no one is home, personnel will proceed with their work, which includes an inspection of the front and rear of the property. When the inspection is complete, a door hanger will be left to inform the taxpayer that we were there. Photographs will also be taken during all inspections.
Each reassessment field inspector wears an ID badge and an identifying t-shirt or vest. If a taxpayer is uncertain about the identity of a representative, please contact the Lake County Assessor's Office at 219-755-3100 for verification.
Refer to the map for an approximate time frame when you can expect personnel will be in your area. The areas in white will be inspected this year.
For re-inspection schedules in Township jurisdictions, contact your Township Assessor's office.
Note: Lake County will not be issuing Form 11s for 19pay20; tax bills will serve as notice for all taxpayers.
IC 6-1.1-15-1.1
As a result of legislative changes that were passed in 2017, significant changes have been made to the appeal process.
Taxpayers wishing to contest their assessment must now do so on the State prescribed form, Form 130. Form 133, which
was previously used to contest assessments on objective grounds, has been eliminated. Taxpayers wishing to contest their
assessment on objective grounds (for example, a garage that has been removed or too much square footage) should now do
so using page 2 of Form 130. For further information, please visit the DLGF’s website at
http://www.in.gov/dlgf/ or contact our office directly.
The website has been updated to reflect 2019 assessed values (for taxes payable in 2020). The deadline to appeal is June 15th. Please feel free to contact your township assessor or our office for additional information.
You may submit all appeal related documentation via email to assessor@lakecountyin.org
Members
2021 Meeting Dates
Meetings are held in the Lake County Training & Media Center, Room A-099 and begin at 9:30am.
A penalty of twenty-five dollars ($25) applies for returns filed after May 17th. For returns not filed within thirty (30) days of the due date, an additional fee of twenty percent (20%) of the taxes payable will be assessed.
Pursuant to Indiana Code 6-1.1-3-7 (b), a county assessor MAY grant an extension of not more than thirty (30) days to file the taxpayer's return.
Personal Property exemption eligibility/notification SEA 233-2019
Beginning with the January 1, 2020 assessment date, the personal property exemption increases from $20,000 to $40,000. Personal property returns for eligible taxpayers (those whose total acquisition costs do not exceed $40,000) must include the following information:
Non-Profit entities that meet the criteria for the less than $40,000 Personal Property Exemption are not required to file the certification. See the Personal Property tab.
Please Note: An exemption granted under IC 6-1.1-10 or any other statute supersedes this exemption. In other words, a taxpayer whose personal property is exempt because the taxpayer applied for and was granted an exemption by the county must follow all applicable procedures for the approved exemption, which may include fully completing the personal property return.
Effective April 1, 2016, all resident Indiana Inheritance Tax Returns (Form IH-6) for individuals who died prior to January 1, 2013 must be filed with the Indiana Department of Revenue, rather than the county courts.
For more information regarding the repeal of inheritance tax view the letter the Indiana Department of Revenue issued here, inheritance.pdf.
The Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF), in partnership with the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) at Indiana University, created the below tax bill projection tools for Indiana taxpayers. These tools will allow the taxpayer to enter their property's assessed value and possible deductions to see a range of tax bill estimates.
The estimates provided by these tools are projections only and should not be taken as a statement of true tax liability.
For a list of Taxing Districts (Number/Name) by Township, please see this listing made available by the DLGF.